Law practice management duties are not the sole responsibility of outside counsel.

"From the perspective of law departments, LPM requires a definitive commitment from outside counsel before work begins, provides in-house counsel with insurance that outside counsel is committed to controlling legal expenses and avoids the need for day-to-day oversight of their work," write Scott Rosenberg and David Rueff.

As software solutions have changed law practice -- with ediscovery and other electronic services -- general counsel have to be particularly keen about personnel. It takes more than lawyers; it takes a team of professionals.

Legal, management, financial, and technical skills might be required. General counsel assembles the in-house team, and monitors the outside team.

Team Approach

In the corporate world, legal consultant Harrison Barnes says, every endeavor can be seen as a project. That includes legal matters.

"It should have a definite beginning and a predictable definite end," he writes for Law Crossing. "It has to be measured and assessed whether objectives have been reached or objectives cannot be met."